Proposals due to be announced by business secretary Greg Clark include a bespoke code of practice for the largest private companies who would have to comply or explain why they had not in their annual report.

Private firms will also be expected to report on diversity, greenhouse gas emissions and social and community issues.

The proposals will form part of the government”s green consultation paper on corporate governance, due to be published on Tuesday, which aims to increase public trust in business in the face of the rise in anti-globalisation and anti-business sentiment.

Its proposals will include:

Image caption Theresa May appears to have rowed back from plans to force companies to appoint employees to their boards

The publication of the consultation comes after Theresa May appeared to row back from plans to force companies to appoint employees to their boards, an idea that had caused unease among companies.

She ruled out forcing firms to appoint employees to company boards when she gave a talk to the CBI last week, saying there were “other routes” to providing worker representation on boards, including advisory councils or panels.

TUC general secretary Frances O”Grady said the prime minister should have the confidence to take on “big business elites” over the issue.

“Workers on boards is a policy that”s tried, tested and proven in many other countries. And it will work for Britain too, helping us build a stronger and fairer economy,” she said.

But the Institute of Directors welcomed the proposed changes to private firms.

“The government is right to bring a new focus to the corporate governance of unlisted companies, which at the moment is a bit of black box – we don”t know what”s going on in there until something goes wrong,” said head of corporate governance Oliver Parry.